Alleged serial killer and convicted rapist Anthony Sowell is creating even bigger problems for the Cleveland police department, who have been accused of joking about missing victims, passing the blame onto those victims and outright incompetence. As of today, the body count is up to 10 (plus one skull), and people around the world are wondering what went wrong.
posted by bitter-girl.com on Nov 4, 2009 - 69 comments

Then, in November 2007, exactly three years after the disappearance of Simjanoska, another woman from Kičevo went missing. Fifty-six-year-old Lubica Ličoska was, like Simjanoska, a custodian, and she also lived in the same section of town. When the similarities were noted, locals suddenly remembered Gorica Pavelska. She was seventy-three, a retired custodian who went missing in May 2003. No one had thought much of it at the time. She might have suffered a stroke in some remote place, they had speculated, or gone to work in Skopje. No trace of her was ever found and the whole business had been forgotten. But now it appeared that little Kičevo was home to a serial killer, and Vlado Taneski’s editors smelled a big story.

- The Mask of Sanity: On the Trail of a Serial Killer in Macedonia by Dimiter Kenarov. An account of the Kičevo Monster and the killer's surprising identity. [Warning: Descriptions of the murders include graphic details]
posted by Kattullus on Aug 5, 2009 - 20 comments

For many people who lived in Houston in the early 1970s, trick or treat brings up memories of "The Candy Man," serial killer Dean Corll. He, along with accomplices David Brooks and Wayne Henley (YouTube), kidnapped, raped, and tortured to death 27 boys between the ages of thirteen and eighteen between 1970 and 1973. Thirty-seven years after the bodies of their victims were discovered in mass graves in southwest Houston and the Bolivar Peninsula, three still were unidentified until recently when the efforts of forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick identified victim ML73-3349, now known to be Randall Lee Harvey.
posted by WolfDaddy on Oct 31, 2008 - 32 comments

What better way to evoke the Christmas spirit than with the picture of a vampiric serial killer?
posted by cerebus19 on Nov 9, 2007 - 21 comments

The Benders were a family of German immigrants who opened a store and restaurant in the newly formed state of Kansas in the late 19th century. Led by the spiritualist Kate, they also were some of the United States first serial killers. [more inside]
posted by sleepy pete on Sep 25, 2007 - 37 comments

Thirty years ago today, Gary Gilmore was executed at the Utah State Prison, the first prisoner to be put to death since the moratorium on executions was established four years prior, and the first execution in Utah in sixteen years. His refusal to appeal his death sentence confounded his lawyers and attracted the attention of the ACLU, among others, who fought to keep Gilmore alive, against his wishes. His frustrations with the uncertainty of his sentence led him to attempt suicide in prison twice.

His life and death have been recounted in several books, films, inspired a few songs, and even an SNL skit. His final words, “Let’s do it,” led to a major marketing campaign.
posted by Nathanial Hörnblowér on Jan 17, 2007 - 24 comments

All the scripts to The Inside. Tim Minear, an altogether rather talented producer/writer/director behind Firefly, Angel, and Wonderfalls, created a serial killer show with a difference back in 2005. It was interesting, weird, critically acclaimed, and on FOX, so of course it got cancelled after 13 episodes. Luckily, Mr. Minear has posted on his own site the draft scripts to every episode, as written by himself and his talented friends. They make for fun reading, for those who don't mind reading scripts and would like some tightly-written, throughline-having, serial killery goodness without that funny CSI aftertaste. [via]
posted by Sticherbeast on Jun 25, 2006 - 11 comments

You know what? There ain't no doors outta Hell, babe. Before serial killer nurse Charles Cullen was sentenced to 11 life sentences in New Jersey, some of the families of his victims were allowed to read Victim Impact Statements (audio) (videos linked at left) in which they not only told the court about the effect of the murders on their lives, but also told Cullen what they thought of him. While state laws differ, Victim Impact Statements are often allowed to be considered in making sentencing decisions, and sometimes creep into the guilt phase of the trial. The trials of Terry Nichols, Scott Peterson, and Zacarias Moussaoui all included Impact Statements. Some have argued that Impact Statements are needed to properly assess harm and balance mitigating and humanizing evidence allowed on behalf of the defendant. Others call it nothing more than institutionalized revenge. Would you want the chance to say "Burn in Hell" to a person who harmed someone you cared about, or does such talk have no place in the courtroom?
posted by banishedimmortal on Apr 20, 2006 - 51 comments

Ever thought about setttling down on a quiet farm? Possibly one in rural Wisconsin? How about one with a little history? Just because eBay pulled the auction doesn't mean it's not for sale. Great for the eccentric collector, I'd think. And there's a perfect band to play at the housewarming party.
posted by tula on Apr 12, 2006 - 11 comments

Elizabeth Báthory is hot. I'd do her. The thing is she holds the world record (according to GWR) for being the most prolific serial killer in history. Supposedly, she may have tortured and killed as many as 2000 young girls, which probably makes her bi or lesbian (not that there's anything wrong with that). Some say she is the real inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.
posted by sluglicker on Mar 18, 2006 - 62 comments

Karla Homolka is due to be released today. For those of you who don't keep up with this story, Homolka and her husband Paul Bernardo kidnapped, raped and killed two teenaged girls in the St. Catherines (Ontario) area a few years ago, with one of the women being Homolka's own little sister. Homolka is getting away pretty lightly because of sheer stupidity on the part of the then-prosecutor. Well she's about to get out now. While the official Karla Internet Death Pool no longer exists, one does wonder how long she will last, assuming she's still planning on moving to Montreal's NDG district.
posted by clevershark on Jul 4, 2005 - 123 comments

Serial Killer Art Review Tired of the Gustav Klimpt posters you bought when you were a freshman? Grown tired of the faux antique absinthe poster you bought at Ikea? How about spicing up your decor with a splash of bona fide serial killer art? This site showcases the best of the worst.... reviews and grades of serial killer artwork. Enjoy!

This is my first (and probably creepiest) post.
posted by mannythedog on Jan 23, 2005 - 30 comments

"I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight." With those chilling words, Gary Leon Ridgway (better known as the Green River Killer), plead guilty to the murder of 48 women. Previous discussion here...
posted by vito90 on Nov 5, 2003 - 35 comments

Moors murderer Myra Hindley is dead The serial killer was serving her 36th year behind bars at nearby Highpoint Prison, Suffolk. Hindley and Ian Brady, 64, were jailed for life in 1966 for the sexual abuse, torture and murder of three youngsters. In 1987 they confessed to two more child killings.
posted by tomcosgrave on Nov 15, 2002 - 13 comments

Serial killer blog. Well not really. More of a religious rant than true crime novel, but the case of the Son of Sam murders has been reviewed for the possibility of a second suspect. An article in Fortean Times may have opened the floodgates, but I am unable to find an online source. Did anybody else see this story?
posted by destro on Aug 12, 2002 - 8 comments

Even fictional serial killer Jame Gumb has an online journal! And it is funny as hell, although the 'serial killers webring' it belongs to freaks me out. Why are fictional online journals like this one, and the Brad Pitt journal that used to be at Diaryland generally so much better than the 'real' journals kept by noncelebrities?
posted by kristin on May 12, 2001 - 9 comments